Mom has not been officially diagnosed, but clearly meets the criteria for someone in the mid to late mid stages of Alzheimer's. My question concerns constant clearing of her throat, something she's been doing now for about one month. We've tried mucinex and a number of cough medicines, but to no avail. I've read how this can happen in the late stages of Alzheimer's, but have seen nothing pertaining to the earlier stages. Any comments and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Constant clearing of throat
- Thread starter BarbB
- Start date
Hi Barb, welcome to TP
Losing the ability to swallow or even speak is common in AZ in the later stages, however, our mouths are always producing saliva which without even thinking about makes us swallow as a regular reflex reaction, sit still for 5 minutes and you'll see what I mean.
People with AZ first forget to swallow but then realise too late so they cough, later on they tend to choke and cough violently as the saliva slips to near to the lungs and the final line of defence kicks in and the body rejects liquid going into the lungs.
Cough remedies are designed to clear fluid from the lungs not stop liquids going in there and some relax the muscles so achieving the reverse of what you want.
Just an opinion, you should seek proper medical advise...but I would suggest it's an early stage of "dysphagia" which if you look up may provide some answers, but I think giving an expectorant which pushes moisture up from the lungs to someone who's having a problem swallowing might make you clear your throat a bit more than normal.
K
Losing the ability to swallow or even speak is common in AZ in the later stages, however, our mouths are always producing saliva which without even thinking about makes us swallow as a regular reflex reaction, sit still for 5 minutes and you'll see what I mean.
People with AZ first forget to swallow but then realise too late so they cough, later on they tend to choke and cough violently as the saliva slips to near to the lungs and the final line of defence kicks in and the body rejects liquid going into the lungs.
Cough remedies are designed to clear fluid from the lungs not stop liquids going in there and some relax the muscles so achieving the reverse of what you want.
Just an opinion, you should seek proper medical advise...but I would suggest it's an early stage of "dysphagia" which if you look up may provide some answers, but I think giving an expectorant which pushes moisture up from the lungs to someone who's having a problem swallowing might make you clear your throat a bit more than normal.
K
Thanks so much K! I researched dysphagia and it could very well be that. I'll speak to Dad about this and suggest he make a doctor's appointment for Mom. In the meantime, we'll stay off cough medicines. Again, much appreciated!
BarbB, hello and welcome to Talking Point.
You may be able to just ask the GP for a referral to your local SALT team or service, although of course it couldn't hurt to get checked out by the GP as well. I am sure it depends on your area, but have heard it can be a longish wait for the SALT (I think it's Speech and Language Therapy) referral. That is assuming you are in the UK. If you're elsewhere, apologies, and you would likely need to start with the GP/primary care/family doctor.
Best wishes and hope you are able to sort this out.
You may be able to just ask the GP for a referral to your local SALT team or service, although of course it couldn't hurt to get checked out by the GP as well. I am sure it depends on your area, but have heard it can be a longish wait for the SALT (I think it's Speech and Language Therapy) referral. That is assuming you are in the UK. If you're elsewhere, apologies, and you would likely need to start with the GP/primary care/family doctor.
Best wishes and hope you are able to sort this out.
Thanks Amy!
I'm in New Brunswick, Canada, but first and foremost, I'm a fellow human being like everyone else
. Dad's going to set up an appointment with our family doctor. In addition to getting some advice/reassurance about the throat clearing, I'm hoping this appointment will lead to a referral with a specialist, so that we can get an official diagnosis. Fingers crossed that Mom will agree.hi BarbB
and welcome from me too
I haven't anything to add about your question, sorry
just wondering whether you might add your location to your profile as there are members here who live in Canada and if they can see your location easily, they may notice and be able to offer info which is more specific to the Canadian system
and definitely lots of human sympathy on offer on TP, so now you've found the site, keep posting
best wishes
and welcome from me too
I haven't anything to add about your question, sorry
just wondering whether you might add your location to your profile as there are members here who live in Canada and if they can see your location easily, they may notice and be able to offer info which is more specific to the Canadian system
and definitely lots of human sympathy on offer on TP, so now you've found the site, keep posting
best wishes
Hi, my dad has Alzheimers and he started clearing his throat constantly after a ciurse if antibiotics. He couldnt tell us at first what was wrong but after several questions and watching what triggered it we found that dairy products caused excess mucous in the back of his throat. So we put him on a dairy free diet and touch wood its resolved. Might be worth a try.
